• BACKGROUND
    • Total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) is a useful treatment for ankle arthritis. A common complication however is incisional dehiscence. Adhesive suture retention devices (ASRDs) can assist with closure of surgical and traumatic wounds under tension.
  • PURPOSE
    • This retrospective comparative study evaluates the use of ASRDs on TAA patients' incision healing time and time to full weightbearing.
  • STUDY DESIGN
    • Fifty TAA patients between 2021 and 2023 were divided equally into 2 groups. Demographics included age, BMI, implant, comorbidities and complications.
  • METHODS
    • Results included healing time of the incision, time to full weightbearing, and incision length (cm). Preoperative and postoperative AOFAS, FFI, and VAS scores were also recorded.
  • RESULTS
    • Mean follow-up for the group without ASRDs was 27.7 months, and 24.3 months in the group with ASRDs. Mean incision healing time and return to weightbearing was 37.1 days (Range 28-44 days; SD 4.65) in the group without ASRDs, with average incision length 9.1 cm (Range 5-14 cm; SD 2.00). Mean healing time was 19.9 days (Range 16-27 days; SD 3.29), with average incision length 7.4 cm (Range 6-9 cm; SD 0.76), in the group with ASRDs. This shows a statistically-significant decrease in incision length (p = 0.0065) and return to weightbearing (p < 0.001) in the ASRD group. There was statistically-significant improvement of postoperative AOFAS (p < 0.001; p < 0.001 VAS (p < 0.001; p < 0.001), and FFI (p < 0.001; p < 0.001) scores when compared to preoperative values within either group, no ASRD and ASRD, respectively.
  • CONCLUSION
    • Utilization of ASRDs on TAA incisions can greatly decrease time to full weightbearing and incision healing time.